


Out on a limb

by katiebuttercup



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Feels, F/M, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-22
Updated: 2013-10-01
Packaged: 2017-12-06 03:06:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/730829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiebuttercup/pseuds/katiebuttercup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just because Eponine knew Enjolras' relationship with Lise Montparnasse was a bad idea it doesn't mean she wanted to be right</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. What friends are for

**Author's Note:**

> Lise Montparnasse is a student organiser and she and Enjolras meet at a rally and Enjorlas take the plunge to fall in love, because who better then someone who shares his passion for justice.
> 
> Disclaimer: Not mine

The buzz of the small cellphone jolted Cosette out of her studying induced stupor.She looked up, expecting her companion to answer but the dark haired girl simply glanced at the phone, her mouth turning down slightly at the sides before returning to her own book. Cosette sighed, Eponine had been ignoring her phone for almost two days now. Cosette picked up the phone, scrolling through the contacts, the newest text message was from Grantaire, after a second hesitation she clicked on it.

**Enjolras and Lise broke up. Again.**

Cosette raised an eyebrow; the news wasn't exactly surprising, Enjolras and Lise had a passionate relationship, both were dedicated revolutionaries, striving to make the world better, on paper it was the perfect relationship, in reality it was more like a war zone. Cosette privately thought it was because they were too alike, both unwilling to bend and compromise. Two powerful leaders in a relationship just didn't work out. 

"Enjolras and Lise broke up." 

"Again?" Eponine didn't look up from her book, her tone carefully modulated, artless but she couldn't fool Cosette, she knew the tough girl exterior was just that, a facade. Eponine had admitted that she had fallen in love with Enjolras and the blonde had convinced her to tell the revolutionary leader but Enjolras had rejected her-citing his dedication to his causes-it had broken her heart, and then soon after he had gotten together with Lise.

Talk about kicking a girl when she was down. 

Almost on cue the phone buzzed, this time with Eponine's ring tone, Cosette put the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Cos, is Ep there?"

Cosette eyed Eponine warily, weighing her options. she was a terrible liar but she didn't particuarly want to cause her best friend any more pain. For someone so forward thinking, and well read Enjolras could be completely dense. 

"Uh, yeah, but we're in the middle of studying."

Grantaire sighed into the phone, he wasn't dumb he knew how Eponine felt about Enjorlas, everyone did and he didn't want to hurt her but she was the only one who could get Enjolras out of his funk.

"I know this situation bites, Cos, and trust me if I thought there was any other solution I'd take it but Enjorlas is really bad, he yelled at Jehan."

Cosette blinked, wow, that was bad. No one yelled at Jehan, it was virtually impossible.

"Hold on..."

"I'm not going over there," Eponine said forcefully. Cosette wriggled nervously in her seat. "Enjolras yelled at Jehan this morning."

Eponine looked up, "What? Gimmie the phone." She grabbed the phone before Cosette could make a move. 

"What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Cosette watched Eponine's face tighten in anger, then in dispair and then finally in defeat. She was going to cave. 

"Okay I'll be over now."

Cosette pretended not to notice how Eponine's hands shook as she shoved her phone into her pocket and then began gathering up her stuff.

"You don't have to go," Cosette tried, but she knew Eponine, it didn't matter if it tore her heart in two if she was needed then that was where she would be. 

"I won't be long." Eponine murmured, Cosette watched her walk away, her heart constricting painfully.

It wasn't fair. 

At that moment she almost hated Enjolras.


	2. Blame game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine goes to see Enjolras...and gets the greeting she expects, which is none at all.

Grantaire lets her into the apartment, not bothering to hide how happy to see her he is, Enjolras may be the great and powerful but he can also be an asshole and can be hell to live with and no one but Combferre has the balls to confront him about it-except maybe Eponine.

 

She pats him vaguely on the shoulder before entering the apartment fully, as she expected it looks like a bomb or Churchill's war room has exploded inside it. There are papers and books everywhere, even a white board and in the middle of the chaos is Enjolras.

His blond head is bowed over an Ipad, his hair is mussed and the top buttons on his shirt, usually scrupulously neat are undone. A cup of coffee sits on his knee.

"How goes the war?"

"Fuck off Eponine," he addresses the Ipad not even bothering to look up. His tone, ice cold and mercliless would send the Amis boys scurrying away but Eponine is unmoved-there is only one tone of his voice that can break her-pity, pity when he told her he could never love her, that his only passion was social justice. When he had broken her heart.

God, she was a glutton for punishment.

"Nice way to greet a friend, " Eponine said, pushing some papers out of the way so she could sit down on the sofa, watching him work.

It pisses her off that she is still so attracted to him even after all this time, he has no right to be so gorgerous, even like this, rumpled and unkempt and working on no sleep with only coffee to sustain him. A lesser man would have crumpled by now, but not Enjolras, somehow that just makes him even greater.

Fuck him.

"We're not friends, Eponine, friends don't just drop out of each other's lives"

"I didn't drop out of your life Enjolras," Eponine said tightly, how could she explain that she had kept her distance to protect her already damaged heart? That seeing him brought it all staggering back and that seeing him with Lise was more than she can stand.

"Good as," Enjolras muttered.

"Oh my we are in a good mood"

Enjolras looks up then, leveling her with a blistering glare, but underneath she sees the darkness, the pain and it cloeses her throat and she thinks maybe she is the only one to see how much pain he really is in.

"What do you want Eponine, did you come to gloat?"

"No I didn't come to gloat..."

"Then what? Because I can't think of one good reason for you to be here right now. Why you would think I'd want you here, unless this is some sort of salve for your injured pride"

"You know what? You're right I cant think why I'm here either."

She can't believe she let Grantaire talk her into this; shes the last person to be talking to Enjolras right now she can't help, she feels to deeply, and she lets Enjolras hurt her in a way she hasn't allowed herself to be hurt since she left home at sixteen.

She gets up, stalking to the door, Enjoras just lets out an annoyed huff of air, seemingly glad that his interruption is finally leaving. She hates him, she decides, her thoughts rushing around her, she hates that he's so good and brilliant and she hates that it was Lise who captured his heart of stone and threw it away so carelessly and she hates that she cares so much.

She turns around, her body betraying her heart and her mind screaming at her to get the fuck out. Her throat feels swollen as she struggles to keep tears at bay.

"I'm sorry Enjolras, that she hurt you so much, I'm sorry you feel like I let our friendship slide but I....I'm sorry."

She can feel the tears on her cheeks and she forces herself to move away, to the door, even though somehow Enjorlas exudes this forcefield and she is helplessly circuling around him. Somehow he has seen her tears and understood what they mean, Enjolras isn't great at interpersonal relationships on a one on one scale. In front of a hige crowd he is in his element, powerful and emotive, a force of nature, one on one he is beyond hopeless whch is why, the amis suspect he is such great friends with Combferre who can translate Enjolras to everyone else.

"Eponine..." He's on his feet and beside her in seconds, not a mean feat for a man who has been up for at least twenty four hours, and dealing with heartbreak, no matter how he tries to hide it. She wrenches her arm from his grip, feeling overexposed, she needs to get out before she says something she regrets. Or worse doesn'r regret.

 "Feel better soon Enjolras," The door slams in his face. * An hour later Cosette gets a text message from Eponine saying simply

 **I made it worse**  

Cosette sighs, catching the eye of the barista and ordering an extra strong black coffee for her friend. Its going to be the start of a painful two weeks, or maybe a month if things are as bad as the text message says. It's entirely possible that Lise and Enjolras will get back together and whilst she's happy that Enjolras has found some sort of happiness and getting laid, she wished it hadn't been at the cost of Eponine's happiness.

The last time things had been so tense was when Enjolras had met Lise fo the first time at the student rally, it had been literally eyes meeting across a crowded room , or in this case a student body meeting. She had never seen Enjolras look at another person the way he looked at Lise, and certainly she was an arresting presence, tall and strong she was a natural leader, able to argue strongly in debates even from the points of view she didn't agree with.

And she'd watched it break Eponine's heart.

The dark haired girl had always been good at hiding her emotions, it had taken Cosette almost a full year to get through Eponine's barriers even though they lived in the same dorms, but now they were closer then sisters. No one else knew that Eponine had actually told Enjolras how she felt and the following rejection it had been embrassing enough that Cosette knew, and she'd watched as Eponine had slid further into herself. It hadn't helped that Cosette had met and fallen in love with Marius at the same time. She felt as if she had abandoned her friend at the worst moment but it wasn't as if she hadn't tried but Eponine wouldn't talk, and she was so skilled at turning the conversation around to Cosette that the blonde had finally given up.

Eponine slid into the seat opposite her almost ten minutes later, head down and back to studying. Silently Cosette reached over and gently squeezed her hand a second later a comforting squeeze was returned.


	3. Flower power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cosette tells enjolras some home truths

Cosette doesn't knock, she's not in the mood even for that pretence at civility. 

She's pissed. 

Enjolras, expectedly doesn't look up but Cosette doesn't care, she's not going anywhere, besides she can totally take Enjolras in a fight ever since they were eleven.

"Good afternoon Cosette," there's resignation in enjolras's tone and Cosette entertains the brief hope that Enjolras knows that he's in trouble.

"I would have thought that Eponine would be big enough to deal with her own disappointment," 

Cosette seriously considers punching him, they grew up together in a privileged background but Cosette has a backbone of steel. 

"Surprisingly I'm here to deal with the other mess you've made." Cosette said sitting herself on his couch and making herself comfortable. She's in for the long run. 

"Lise," she clarifies when Enjolras seems intent on not understanding. 

"It's not nice when you don't get what you want, is it?"

Enjolras's face turns an interesting shade of pink, the stirrings of rage but she's not afraid. 

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"You're so used to everyone bowing down to you, so used to being the centre of attention that no matter how much you cared about Lise a little bit of you hated that she could do it too."

"If Eponine told you to tell me ..."

"This is me Enjolras we've known each other for the best part of our lives, I'm no ones messenger my views are my own. You're an asshole and guess what people have noticed."

"Driven." Enjolras persists

"Look I love you, we all love you but here is the line in the sand we're not going to keep watching you tear people down just because you have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. Don't manipulate Eponine's emotions just because Lise tramped on yours."

"Are you done?"

Cosette shrugs and stands up.

"For now"

"Good. So you know the way out."

"I do. And so does everyone else."


End file.
